De Bosset Bridge, Kefalonia, Greece

The De Bosset Bridge in Argostoli Kefalonia is the largest stone bridge on a seawater body and has been in existence since 1813 when the Swiss engineer Charles Philippe De Bosset was employed by the British Army. Thanks to his contribution in the form of study and construction of the bridge, Monsieur de Bosset was appointed as Governor of Kefalonia from 1810-1814 by the British who reigned the Ionian Islands from 1809-1864. At 689.9 meters, it is the longest stone bridge over the sea in the world.

As you pass the bridge upon arrival in the island's capital, a four-faced symmetrical obelisk made up of carved rocks rises from the sea. This monument called Kolona existed since 1813 and was the Kefalonian Parliament's symbol of gratitude to Great Britain. The obelisk had a plaque in four languages: Greek, English, Italian, and Latin with the inscription To the glory of the British Empire, which was mysteriously stricken in 1865, when the Greeks regained control of the island. Since then, the inscription changed according to the different ruling periods. There used to exist a small walkway connecting the obelisk to the bridge but now it has disappeared.

References:

greeka.com

User Reviews

Robert Busby (3 years ago)
Bridge between 2 islands plenty of restaurants lovely view

Sue Vogt-Skard (3 years ago)
This is a cool bridge with great views over Argostoli and it’s Marina. It is a stone bridge built in 1813 over the bay and is the longest stone bridge over the sea in the world. Lovely to take a walk over it and back. It’s fascinating that often the water is much calmer on one side than the other (because of the protection from the wall). This whole area around is the harbour is lovely to wander about and cafes for a drink along the way.

Mike Sp (3 years ago)
Nice bridge with a good view over the city and the area around. The water is clear and the bridge invites for a walk. You can also enjoy a slow wind when it’s to warm inside of the city :) I wish you luck to find some carettas around :) enjoy your time on this long bridge

Mirek Ther (4 years ago)
Nice walk across shallow bay

Andrei Sandu (4 years ago)
Best to take a quite walk after sunset, maybe you can spot the turtles!!! ?

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Photo from Flickr, copyright Andy Hay

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The ancient Argos Theater was built in 320 BC. and is located in Argos, Greece against Larissa Hill. Nearby from this site is Agora, Roman Odeon, and the Baths of Argos. The theater is one of the largest architectural developments in Greece and was renovated in ca 120 AD.

The Hellenistic theater at Argos is cut into the hillside of the Larisa, with 90 steps up a steep incline, forming a narrow rectilinear cavea. Among the largest theaters in Greece, it held about 20,000 spectators and is divided by two landings into three horizontal sections. Staircases further divide the cavea into four cunei, corresponding to the tribes of Argos A high wall was erected to prevent unauthorized access into the theatron and may have helped the acoustics, but it is said the sound quality is still very good today.

Around 120 CE, both theaters were renovated in the Roman style.

De Bosset Bridge

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